LIGHTS, CAMERA, BOLDS
Jul 19, 2021Of the following, what is the most impressive accomplishment? Scoring 18 points in your first 14 AHL games, consistently bowling in the low 200’s, or shooting a 67 as your best round of golf this summer?
Well, Iowa Wild forward Matt Boldy has accomplished every item on that list.
“When I was playing at the National Team Development Program in Michigan, Cole Caufield and I would go bowling whenever we were bored, which was basically all the time,” Boldy said. “We’d legit go three times a week and we got pretty good.”
The Millis, Mass. born Boldy is a self-admitted ultra-competitor. Whether it be with former NTDP teammate, Caufield, who is now starring with the Montreal Canadiens, or with his older brother Mike.
“We’re both incredibly competitive, especially with each other,” Boldy said. “We golf together a lot with our friends, and we always play on separate teams. Our friends make comments about how what they do on the course doesn’t matter, because it’s basically just me versus Mike.”
Matt claims he and Mike often end the round tied, which is not acceptable by either of their standards, so they will play playoff holes until a winner is deemed… which often times finishes long after their friends have seen enough.
“This is just stupid,” said Boldy’s friends on their playoff holes. “We don’t want to deal with your guys’ stuff.”
Millis is located just under an hour southwest of downtown Boston, where Matt played his collegiate hockey at Boston College. He’s a Beantown boy through and through… except on the topic of seafood.
“I am a bad guy to ask,” said Boldy when probed about the Boston seafood scene. “I don’t like seafood… sushi is about as far as I will go, or salmon if it is cooked right.”
Minnesota’s 12th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft did declare his love of chocolate chip ice cream, but just like anything Matt does in his life, it has to be top notch.
“It has to be a good brand, or it can get pretty bad,” said Boldy with a smirk. “There’s a New England chain called J.P Licks that’s really good.”
Whether on the ice, on an ice cream cone, or on his feet, the 2021 NCAA All-American demands it be high caliber… which is why his shoe collection features some high-profile sneakers.
“If I won the lottery, the first thing I would probably do is buy some crazy pair of Golden Goose shoes,” Boldy said. “I just bought a pair of Common Projects and have a couple pairs of Golden Goose shoes already… that hurt the wallet a little bit.”
Clearly, the 20-year-old’s attitude for the best has served him well so far. After being a game time decision, which included on-ice warmups, for game six of Minnesota’s opening round Stanley Cup Playoffs series with Vegas, perhaps his NHL debut dream is close at hand.
“Ever since I was little it [the dream] was always a professional hockey player,” Boldy said. “The older I got the more realistic it started to seem, so thoughts of being anything else have never really been in my head.”
Stay tuned for Wednesday’s “The More You Know with Joe” feature, where Joe will chat live on Facebook with Matt for an even deeper look at the second highest NHL Draft pick to ever don an Iowa Wild sweater.
Iowa Wild hockey is presented by MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center. For more information, please visit www.iowawild.com.
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